Face powder container



S'. LowEN FACE POWDER CONTAINER Filed July 28. 1932 Z-Sheets-Sheet 1 ngi lNvENToR ,Stank/v Lame ATTORN EY May l; 'f4 s. LWEN ,956,991

FACE POWDER CONTAINER Filed July 28, 1932 i 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTQR Stazzy owen B I l I ATTQRNEY Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l Claim.

This case relates to face powder containers.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel type of face powder container or pouch.

More specically, the object is to provide a face powder pouch or container which will by its nature shrink in size, contract, or deiate as the supply of powder therein diminishes.

Still further, the object is to provide a collapsible powder pouch made of semi-flexible mal@ terial such as thin cardboard or thin semi-rigid leather.

The object is still further to provide a face powder pouch in the form of a bellows with a cover having openings through which powder may be withdrawn by a powder puif or the like.

Another object is to provide a collapsible powder pouch of semi-flexible material for setting up a slight vibration when a powder puff is tapped thereon to thereby shake up the powder in the pouch.

Another object also is to provide a bellows powder pouch which when tapped on by a pow'- der puff will tend to expel the top layer of powder through openings in the top of the pouch by reason of the tendency of the bellows to expel the air therein upon compression, the ex-` pelled air carrying along particles of powder.

Still another object is to provide such a powder pouch as will retain its cross-sectional shape while shrinking or settling onto the top of the supply of powder therein under the pressure of a powder puff or the like applied thereto.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter pointed out in the specification and claim and shown in the drawings, which by way of illustration show various preferred forms which the. invention may take.`

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the powder pouch and the box in which it is sold along with the powder pui to be used therewith,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the powder pouch shown in Fig. 1 and shown square in shape for purposes of illustration,

Fig. 3 is a top view of a round powder pouch, such as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 is a. vertical section through a powder pouch of a different form of my invention,

Fig. 5 is a View of the pouch illustrated in Fig. 'l showing the collapse or shrinking of the upper folds as the supply of powder has diminished.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pouch shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 7 is a view of a powder pouch in partly collapsed condition, and with a gauze top.

Referring to the drawings in detail:

In Figs. 1, 2, and 6 is a powder pouch made of semi-Iiexble material such as thin cardboard, s tiif paper, thin fairly rigid leather, or canvas, the material being preferably of sufficient rigidity to maintain its cross-sectional shape against a moderate amount of pressure such as is due to the lling of the pouch with face powder or the like. The sides of the pouch l0 are pleated or folded accordion-like, or in the manner of bellows, such as found in cameras, the intersecting edges or fold lines of the' pleats or folds'` being made sufiiciently weak so that the bellows will collapse, shrink, contract, or settle to follow the level of the powder when tapped on by a powder puff or the like. However, there is sucient resiliency in the bellows folds to tend to expand the bellows when pressure is relieved from the top thereof so that the bellows will kick back, so to speak, when the powder puff is released therefrom and will thus also set up a slight vibration, this tendency shaking the powder loose from between the folds of the bellows and also breaking up the top layer of. powder to prevent its caking. The intermittent, repeated applications of the powder puif to the bellows is sufficient however to break down largely those folds which have been compressed most often. These of course are the ones furthest above the level of the powder supply. The folds which have just been freed of the powder and are directly adjacent the level of the powder have not been compressed and expanded so often as to causevthem to lose their resiliency and it is these latter folds which kick back sufficiently to breathe or induce air into the bellows. The trapped air `when the bellows is next compressed is expelled with particles of powder. 9 5

It will be noted that the powder in the bellows will, because of the slope of .he pleats, iiow off the sides of the pleats and towards the center of the powder supply. Further, as the powder is removed by the powder puif from the center of The powder supply, the powder at the edges of the supply will flow towards the center as is the case with any freely flowing pulverized material. It will therefore be for these reasons clearly seen that the outer edges of the supply in the container will have a tendency to ow towards the center and out from between the angle of the pleats. The pleats will therefore be free to collapse when compressed by the `tapping of the powder puff on the top of the container. Fur- 110 ther, the container may be slightly jarred to prevent any possible'remaining tendency of the powder to stick between the angles of the pleats and prevent their collapse.

When compressed by the pressure of the powder puii' tapped on the top of the bellows, the air therein will be expelled as is true of all bellows and in being expelled will carry the powder along with it thus ejecting it from. openings in the top onto the powder pufi' held in the hands of the user. Powder will also seep through the top of the container into contact with the powder puff. 'I'he powder pu when abstracting the powder from the container in the aforesaid manner, compresses the bellows which kicks back slightly from the upper level of the powder but stays collapsed substantially at the upper level of the powder supply.

The powder pouch 10 shown in Figs. 1,2, and 6 is closed at the top by a closure base 11 of cardboard, tin or the like glued to the top fold and having a depressed central portion 12 formed with a plurality of small openings 13. Rotataoly pinned by a stud 14 to the depressed portion l2 is a sifter top 15 formed with small openings 16 Aadapted to aline with openings 13 when rotated to one position and permit withdrawal of powder 17 by the powder puff 18 in the man-A ner above described. By rotating the sifter top 15 to another position, the holes 13 and 16 are misalined and the pouch effectively closed aaginst removal of powder. The top 15-has a large hole 25 and the portion 12 has a similar hole 26, these the powder puff 18.

' holes being adapted to aline when the member 15 is rotated to still another position in which the holes 13 and 16 are misalined. The purpose of holes 25 and 26 is to permit free flow of powder from the container into a vanity box or the like. When in closed position, the top 15 has all its holes misalined with the holes in part 12.

The pouch is closed at the bottom by a base consisting of a fiat element 20 of cardboard, tin, or any other suitable material glued to the bottom fold of the bellows. The element 20 is cut out centrally to provide an opening 21 throughwhich the powder may be` inserted into the lpouch. Sealing the opening 21 is a layer 22l of transparent material such as cellophane, through which the powder may be viewed when desired and a layer of thin paper 23 to which the cellophane layer 22 is glued, the paper 23 being glued to the bottom of the element 20.

While the pouch may be supplied separately as a replaceable ller, it is more usually sold inside a box 28 having a cover 29 and containing In abstracting powder from the container onto a powder puff, the top 15 is iirst rotated by means of a small projecting nib 27 to aline holes 13 and 16, holes 25 and 26 still being misalined. The puff is then lightly tapped on the top 15 and the powder will be abstracted as above explained. At the same time, the folds of the bellows will be caused to collapse by the action of the powder puff, the amount of collapse being limited by the upper level of the powder. In this manner, the top of the container is always substantially at the level of the powder so that it may be easily withdrawn by the powder puff.

In Fig. 3, is shown the top of a circular pouch formed as a bellows according to my invention and as further illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. In this modification, instead of using a sifter top, the top comprises a fiat member 30, preferably of cardboard, having a plurality of small holes 31 punched therein through which the powder may be expelled and withdrawn by tapping on the top with a powder puff. When sold and before use, the holes 31 are sealed by a layer 32 of cellophane or the like glued to the member 30 and which may be stripped oif, or punched if preferred, to uncover the holes.

In this modification, the bellows pouch 10' tapers towards the bottom and its sides are lined inside with thin tis :fle-like sheets of nonporous cellophane or paper 34 glued to the sides at the fold lines. The sheets 34 are slightly concave or bent between the folds so that as the folds collapse, they will exert pressure on the sheets to collapse, contract, or crumple the sheets to lie between the collapsed folds. In effect, the lining sheets 34 may be considered as a secondary, auxiliary, or interior bellows or as a bellows lining. When the pouch is completely full, the interior bellows is expanded so that its sides are practically, although not completely straight. The purpose of the lining is to prevent the powder from contacting the main bellows 10'. This is only desirable when the material of which the main bellows is formed is slightly porous, fragile, or so rough that the powder will adhere thereto instead of fiowing easily. The lining 34 itself while acting as a bellows on compression is of such thin material as to permit its initial extension into substantially straight sided configuration so that powder will not get between the folds of paper 34. As shown in Fig. 5, with the collapse of the bellows l0 assisted by pressure from the powder pull in the hands of the user, the lining 34 crumples between the folds of the bellows 10'.

In Fig. 7 is shown a bellows face powder pouch 40 with a different form of top than in the other modifications, this top comprising a thin layer 41 of gauze material to permit free withdrawal of the powder.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the different forms herein described and illustrated in the drawings, it is understood that various changes, alterations, and 125 modifications may be made in the form of the invention within the scope of mechanical skill and within the scope of the invention and without departing therefrom. I therefore wish to be limited only by the scope of the following claim: 130

A powder container comprising collapsible sides pre-formed as a bellows and a perforated top closure fixed to the upper end of the sides to move downwardly therewith, tapping on the closure with a powder puff or the like effecting 135 collapse of the bellows and tending to expel the air therefrom together with particles of the powder in the container through the perforations in the closure, the lines of folds of the bellows having an inherent resiliency to cause 140 the bellows to kick back and expand after pressure on the top closure is removed to thereby induce air into the bellows.

STANLEY LOWEN. 

